


Pygmalion

by needles



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Crossdressing, Ereri Week, Ereri Week 2015, Fluff and Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-04
Updated: 2015-06-04
Packaged: 2018-04-02 21:49:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4075048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/needles/pseuds/needles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Levi becomes a flower girl and gets to throw things....</p><p>With grateful thanks (and profound apologies) to George Bernard Shaw</p><p>For the ereri week day 5 Mythology prompt.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pygmalion

The stage floor resonated like a sounding board to the feet marching across it, amplified by the hollow space below. Several pairs of eyes zeroed in on the slight figure with an air of 'here we go again'.

He halted before the one person obviously unconcerned by his aura of menace. "Erwin."

"Yes that will be fine, I'll leave you to get on with those Moblit, let me know when they are ready," Moblit nodded and departed behind the curtains.

"Erwin!"

"Why hello Levi, rehearsing already?" his long fingers tapped at the sheaf of papers brandished under his nose.

"You did it again, didn't you? I told you NO MORE! I refuse to play a woman again! Why can't you get that into your dumb blonde head, is it suffering from oxygen deprivation up there?"

"But Levi, you do it so well, and you're the prettiest." He grinned, " Besides everyone else would be taller than the leading man."

"What about Armin, he's the prettiest guy in the whole school?"

"He can't act for shit, and I need him to work the sound and lighting."

Levi huffed! "Then get a taller leading man!"

"Oh I couldn't change him, he's perfect. Sorry Levi, but in the absence of any real girls you are irreplaceable. Besides your fans would be so disappointed."

"Disappointed my arse!" He looked up at Erwin, "Anyway who is playing the leading man this year now that Mike has quit?"

"That's right, you haven't met him yet, he transferred in while you were off sick." Erwin smirked, "I think I'll just leave it as a surprise until the read through later."

Levi snorted and marched back across the stage.

"More ladylike Levi please, don't stomp!" his director chided.

A single digit was raised in his direction.

"And don't mince either!"

 

Chairs scraped as they were dragged into a rough circle by the assembled cast. Levi glanced around at the familiar faces matching them to their assigned parts with either a nod, a shrug or a grimace. Horseface was playing Freddie? Yuk! Feigning affection for that would take all his acting skills. Hanji had got Mrs Higgins, they would be ok with that as long as they could rein in their over acting, and Oluo was Col. Pickering, should be fine. Professor Higgins was the new boy, Levi looked up and spotted a pair of bright green eyes flicking nervously about the stage. He raised an eyebrow, Erwin certainly had picked some eye candy, he just hoped the guy could act.

They began the read through. Levi cursed Erwin multiple times for his choice of play, Pygmalion was a wonderful play, no doubt about it, but that meant he had to get his tongue round Eliza Doolittle's abominable Cockney vowels. His first doozy came in Act 1 with her second line,

Levi (ELIZA) - Ow, eez ye-ooa san, is e? Wal, fewd dan y'de-ooty bawmz a mather should, eed now bettern to spawl a pore gel's flahrzn than ran awy atbaht pyin. Will ye-oo py me f'them?

That produced a round of sympathetic chuckles.

Levi gave an apologetic grimace, "Yeah gonna need some practice, nice choice of play Erwin!"

Erwin smiled indulgently, "I have every confidence in you Levi."

When they reached Higgins' entrance and his first line Levi waited, not watching the speaker.

The hairs stood up on the back of his neck as he heard a rich velvety tone speaking perfectly accented upper class English. It was gorgeous to listen to, and a little deeper than he had expected. 'Fuck,' he thought, 'that guy could make reading out a railway timetable sexy.'

Two hours later they had completed the play and as everyone stood, stretching stiffened joints and heading offstage for drinks and snacks Levi heard a slight cough behind him. He turned from his packing and looked up into the face of his erstwhile co-star. "I just thought I should properly introduce myself, I'm Eren Jaeger," a hand reached forward.

Levi shook it, it was warm and dry. "Levi Ackerman."

"Erwin was right you were amazing," he sounded awestruck, " how you managed that accent was awesome, I could never do that."

"I just have a good ear for accents is all. You did well yourself. Erwin said you'd just transferred in?"

Eren nodded, "Dad moved for work, he's a doctor he moves a lot so," he shrugged, "you know how it goes."

"You switch schools often?"

"Yeah. It leaves my lessons a bit of a mess, though I hope I'll be able to stay here until I graduate now, since I'm boarding. At least that's the general idea." He grinned, "come on I'll buy you a drink for listening to my boring shit and pretending to be interested."

Ordinarily Levi would have turned him down flat, but he was thirsty and Eren intrigued him. That he was good to look at as well was just a bonus.

 

On that first day Eren had been waiting for the final act to see just how their relationship turned out. Shaw's ending had left him disappointed. Higgins didn't get to marry Eliza. There would be no romantic love scenes for him and Levi, only a few heated fights. Eren sighed as he pushed Ovid's Metamorphoses back onto the library shelf. He knew Pygmalion was derived from a Greek myth but he'd never read it, until now. Pygmalion himself fared better than Henry Higgins in Shaw's play. Pygmalion got to marry his statue brought to life. He'd just have to do better than his character.

 

Levi found himself getting more and more absorbed by the play, and specifically the part of Eliza, he felt he understood her. They were both shitty brats from the wrong side of town. So he never missed a single rehearsal and Erwin never heard another complaint about playing a girl. It had absolutely nothing to do with his attractive co-star at all.

 

Eren had quickly learned that Levi had a reputation around the school. He was clever but he was also cold. He seemed to have few friends outside the drama club and didn't make an effort to socialise even though he lived in the dorm. There were dark rumours about past fights, and most people just seemed to avoid him. If he wanted to be alone they were more than willing to accommodate him.

Eren wasn't. Levi entranced him and he persisted with his invites until Levi just shrugged and followed him to the cafe after rehearsals, or the library, or outside to sit under the old willow where they could rehearse their lines, study, or just relax.

He looked up from his grassy bed at Levi, sitting silhouetted against the blue sky and rippling leaves of the tree. "Why do you put up with me dragging you around?"

"I don't find your company annoying," Levi responded without looking up from his book.

Eren's spirits fell, "Oh."

"You sound disappointed," Levi commented dryly.

"I guess I was hoping for something a bit more positive," Eren admitted.

Levi turned another page. "I find almost everyone in the school annoying."

A smile spread across Eren's face. "Guess that'll do then."

He rolled sideways and grinned up at Levi, "Costume fittings tomorrow, I can't wait to see you in a dress."

Levi just rolled his eyes, "Pervert," he muttered.

"Hey I'm not a pervert, well not that kind. I just think you'll look really cute." Oh shit, his brain must be spacing out, he just called the toughest kid in school cute. He braced himself for a punch but Levi just closed his book, rose, and turned to return to class.

"Not as cute as you would be."

Stunned eyes watched him walk away.

 

The rehearsals proceeded apace, the props were appearing at a steady rate from Moblit's team and the constant smell of fresh paint told of progress with the sets.

  
Today it was Act IV. Higgins and Eliza return after her triumph winning Higgins his bet. But she gets no credit from him for her performance and she snaps. It was probably the highlight of the play and gave Levi full scope to vent Eliza's rage.

Eren (HIGGINS) - What the devil have I done with my slippers?

Levi (ELIZA) - There are your slippers (throws slipper). And there (throws second slipper). Take your slippers; and may you never have a day's luck with them!

As Levi spat the lines at Eren he picked up the slippers and hurled them at him one after the other per the stage directions.

"Ow!!!" Eren dropped to his knees with a hand clamped over his left eye, a streak of red visible above his eye socket.

"Shit!" Erwin dashed from the wings and prised Eren's fingers gently away. A small line of oozing blood crossed his eyebrow and began to trickle down. He glanced behind him, "Levi for fuck's sake be careful how you throw those!"

Levi just stood, watching the blood trickle down Eren's face, his own face a sickly grey.

Erwin passed Eren a handkerchief to cover the cut and helped him up. "Take him to the infirmary Levi. We'll work on another scene. Don't push yourself tonight Eren."

"Ok." Eren walked slowly off stage escorted by a guilt-ridden Levi.

 

"Stop apologising Levi," Eren tossed a painkiller into his mouth and took a swig of water. "It's my fault for not ducking faster, we've practiced it plenty of times, I knew where you were aiming."

"But I threw them too hard and fast, I was so pissed at Higgins' attitude. I got careless, and now you're hurt."

"Getting so deep into your part is what makes you such a good actor, I'll be fine." He tilted his head to look up at Levi's downcast face from his seat on the bed. Behind the curtain of hair hiding them his eyes looked miserable. "Come on, it's a tiny cut, the nurse said cuts like this always bleed a lot but aren't serious. It'll heal in no time."

"You might get a scar."

"Don't care if I do." His voice took on an exasperated edge, "If you don't stop beating yourself up over nothing I will punch you on the eyebrow and give you a matching one, ok?"

Levi lifted his eyes from their contemplation of the linoleum and twitched his lip up slightly. "I bet you would too."

"Damn right I would!" Eren pushed himself off the bed. "Now let's get back to rehearsals, I don't want to have to spoil that beautiful face of yours."

Levi followed him from the infirmary hoping nobody would notice the heat he could feel creep up his neck.

 

Eren paced the wings waiting for his cue, shaking his head. 'Not into cross dressing, nope!,' he repeated in his head like a mantra. 'But... hot damn he looks good in that dress.' His libido just laughed at his attempt to dispel the image of himself stripping said dress off Levi. Thank the Gods it was just the dress rehearsal.

 

The play was a resounding success, the audience stood, applause thundered around the hall and Eren took Levi by the arm as they strode forward for yet another curtain call. He looked at Levi and a smile crept across his face.

"What!"

Levi found himself spun round into Eren's arms and then dipped backwards across one knee as a pair of warm lips were planted upon his own. A chorus of catcalls and whistles filled the air as he was lifted up again to his feet. It took all his presence of mind to steady himself and smile to the audience as the curtain finally fell in front of them.

He rounded on Eren, bristling like an infuriated cat "What the hell was that?" he hissed.

Eren grinned, "Just playing to the crowd Levi, after all it's what the audience were waiting for the entire play."

Levi grabbed him by the arm, fingers digging in painfully as he pulled Eren behind him, "Come with me you little shit!"

Levi slammed the door of the dressing room behind them and shot the bolt across. Then he turned round and began ripping off the dress, wig, stockings and heels until he stood in nothing more than his boxers. He grabbed a handful of tissues and scrubbed furiously at his face removing the make-up. Then he advanced on Eren who backed against the wall eyes scrunched shut expecting a punch.

"Look at me you shitty brat!"

Eren opened his eyes warily. Levi was right in front of him, five foot three of quivering fury. "What do you see? Do you see a girl? DO YOU!"

"No."

"Then stop treating me like one."

"I've never seen you as a girl, Levi," Eren protested, eyes widening as they ran over the muscled yet slender body. He felt his body reacting to the sight.

"Liar! You called me cute. You said my face was beautiful, not handsome - beautiful! You got the hots for me in that dress, don't think I didn't notice. And then you bloody kissed me like a girl in front of the entire school!"

Eren sagged, "Sorry."

"And you're a shitty kisser," Levi grumbled.

The green eyes flicked up, a wicked glint in them, "Why don't you teach me then?"

A strong hand gripped the front of his shirt pulling him down, "Looks like I'll have to, doesn't it?" he muttered, pressing his mouth to Eren's, his tongue running along soft lips and slipping inside as they parted. Eren's arms wrapped tightly around Levi as his knees weakened beneath him.

They froze at a loud rattle from the door handle.

"Levi! Eren! What are you doing in there, everyone is waiting for you at the party," Erwin's voice demanded from the other side.

Levi broke the kiss, "Damn you Erwin," he hissed under his breath. Then, "Just changing Erwin, those heels were killing me," he called.

"Ok but don't be long." Footsteps faded down the corridor.

Eren released him reluctantly, "I guess we'd better get changed then?"

Levi nodded and crossed to where he'd hung his clothes. He pulled on his trousers, shoes and a shirt then rummaged in his pocket for something. He fiddled with it for a moment then tossed a shiny object at Eren, "Here, catch!"

Eren grabbed it and opened his fingers to see a key.

Levi unbolted the door, "My room, at 10, we'll continue your lessons then. Don't be late."

Eren grinned at the door closing behind Levi, "I'm looking forward to it."


End file.
